author
Ernest Oldmeadow
1867–1949
A British journalist, editor, and novelist, he moved easily between literary culture, Catholic journalism, and popular fiction. His work ranged from novels and criticism to music writing and even early speculative satire.
2 Audiobooks
About the author
Born in Chester on October 31, 1867, Ernest James Francis Oldmeadow built a varied career as a writer, editor, and journalist. Records and reference works describe him as an author and publisher, and note that he edited The Dome, contributed criticism and journalism to several British publications, and later became editor of the Catholic weekly The Tablet.
Oldmeadow wrote across an unusually wide range of subjects. Alongside novels such as The Scoundrel and Aunt Maud, he published books on music and musicians, and he is also remembered for works that brushed against speculative fiction, including The North Sea Bubble and the later collection The Town To-Morrow: Five and Twenty Imaginary Broadcasts, issued under the name Francis Downman.
His life also took a notable religious turn: one reference source says he began in the Wesleyan ministry in Nova Scotia before converting to Catholicism in 1897, a change that shaped much of his later editorial career. He died in London on September 11, 1949, leaving behind a body of work that reflects both the lively magazine culture of his time and his strong interests in religion, music, and fiction.